Starting mechanism for gas-engines.



1 F. H. GLAHN.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1910. v

Patented J an. 17, 1911.

' FRANCIS H. GLAHN, OF SOUTH OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented Jan. 1'7, 1911..

Application filed May a, 1910. Serial No. 559,789.

citizen of the United States, residing at South Omaha, in the county ofDouglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Starting 'Mephanism for Gas-Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to starting mecha nism for gas engines, and moreparticu larly for use in connection with automobiles; and has for itsobject, broadly, the provision of means for the storage of a forcecommunicated by a movement of the driving shaft while the engine is inmotion, and means for thereafter utilizing this force for the purpose ofstarting the engine, thereby dispensing with the usual practice ofmanually cranking the engine when starting it.

In starting an automobile it'is generally necessary to perform theoperation of turning the engine or, in other words, to cause to movethrough the aspiring and compression strokes to the point of ignition;and he operation of manually rotating the cranking shaft is quiteinconvenient, and when turning the crank of the cranking shaft at thefront of the car the operation is frequently attended with danger. I

The invention has reference to a structure of few and simple parts, thesame to be reliable and automatic in operation, and which may be underconvenient control; another object is to provide a starting mechanism'which'may occupy a limited space within the car.

I VVith these objects .in view, the invention discloses a novelcombination and arrangement of parts as herein described and claimed,and as illustrated in the drawing, it being understood that changes inform, size, proportion or other minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit-of the inventionor sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the accompanying drawing forming a .part of the apphcation, Figure 1is a plan recessed'disk or barrel and the spiral spring view of a partof an automobile, with the starting mechanism mounted thereon, the

being in section; Fig. 2 is a vertical end view of the barrel, thepinion ofthe driving shaft also-being shown. Fig. 3 1s a View of the endof the barrel,'being the end opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isan en-f plates .1 and 2.

larged plan view, partly in section, to clearly illustrate the principalparts shown in Fig.

1. Fig. 5 is a detail relating to Fig. 1, being a side view of theslidable supporting-frame. Referring now to the drawing for a moreparticular description, numerals 1 and 2 indicate the respective sideplates, and 3 the front end plate of an automobile, these being parts ofthe car frame.

The driving or crank-shaft is indicated at 4, said shaft having pinion 5mounted upon its front terminal.

At 6 is indicated a cross bar, the same being a part ofthe car frame; itis suitably mounted upon and extends between side At 7 is shown aslidable supporting-frame, the same being mounted upon cross bar 6, saidframe being provided with oppositely disposed, longitudinal engagingplates 8 adapted to have seatings inclosingly upon upon and midwaybetween K the ends of frame 7, its front end'extending in a direction oftheforward part of the car.

At 10 is indicated a rotatable, verticallydisposed disk or barrel, thesame being keyed upon shaft 9 and provided with the internal gear 11formed in its rear end, its front end having formed therein the endlessgroove or trackway 13, best shown in Fig. 3,. said trackway beingarcuate in form and comprising the outer and inner portions respectivelyindicated at 14 and 15.

At 16, best shown in Fig. 2, is indicated a toothed cylinder preferablyformed integral with the barrel and disposed at the middle of the rearend thereof, and at 17 intermediate this toothed cylinder and theinternal gear 11 is provided the .concaved gear portion 17 which forms aconnection between gears 11 and 16.

At 30 is indicated a concaved portion dis.- posed opposite to portion17, the degree of curyature thereof being the same as the curvature ofconcaved portion 17 it is provi'ded with teeth the same as portion 17the barrel; and junctionlt) of the groove is disposed similarlyv withreference to' concaved'portion 30.. A recess' QO is forme'd at junction19-, said recess communicating with grooves 14: and 15. 'While thisrecess is 'upon an end of the 'disk opposite to the blank portion .31,it may be said to be adj acent to said blank' portion and it forms apocket or depression extending in a direction opposed to sa-id blankportion, and it I isvdisposed between said grooves. a

At 21- is indicated a roller having -'a stem mounted upon plate 3adjacent to and at the front of the disk, and said roller is adapted tohave a seating at all times either'in rebeing mounted upon arm 25of'frame- 7.

cess 20101 in'one of the. trackways 14 or 15.

At 22 is indicated a spiral spring, it's innerend 23 being mounted uponthe periphery of the barrel, its outer'end 24 Pinion 5 of the crankshaft has a diameter less than the distance between the internal gearand the gear of cylindrical portion 16 of the barrel, and said pinion isnormally disposed adjacent to and between 'these gears and out ofengagement therewith. The crank shaft, rotates'in-the directionindicated by, the small arrow in Fig. 3. Since the barrel is 1nounted',upon the slidable supporting-frame 7 it may have 'a movementtransversely of the car. For the purpose of moving frame?transversely'of the car any suitable means ma be employed, the'meansherein shown eing the strand26 having its inner end mounted at 27uponone of the ends of said frame, the

-in the N engage .by any of, the gears of the disk;

strand being supported by pulley 28.

. It has been stated that roller 21 is normally disposed withinrecess-20. .At this time, as will-be seen, the spring is completely'coiled orJvound. It will be understood that atflthis time pinion 5 isdisposed osition-shown in Fig. 2, and is not Since mally 'inion 5'of thecrank shaft is nordisposed adjacent to the toothed parts of concaveportion 30, a limited movement enga ement of said pinion 5 with thecylinofthe's'lidable' s'upportingframe in a direction of side plate 1 ofthe car will cause drica gear 16., The parts are so arranged that whileroller 21 is seated in the inner curved roove v15, pinion 5 will .engagecylindrica gear16, and when the roller is the pinion.

disposed in the outer groove lathe; pinion will engage the internal gear11.

Fromthe description, the operationfof. starting the car and the Winding,of the,

spring will be readily understood.- To start the engine, frame'7 ismoved a limited distance in a direction-of side plate '1 by use ofstrand. 26;. thismovement will change the seating of roller 21-fro1nrecess 20 to the inner groove'15; the spring thereupon :will be releasedand will cause .the d isk to .armw

rotate in the direction ofthe lar in 'Fig. 2;v pinion 5 thereupon wi Ibe t lngaged' by the cylindrical gear 16-.and said pinion will berotated in a normal direction by force of the spring; in other words,the

release of the spring will cause a rotatable movement of the disk in thedirection of; the

arrow last mentioned and willcause gear;

16 to actuate said pinion. When pinion 5 is engaged by cylindrical gear16 as last described,.the crankshaft will be moved substantially asingle revo i lution but this is sufficient for the'purpose of starting"the engine and car, since it causes the engine to' pass the ignitionpoint, and a continued rotatable movement of the crank shaft will followin the usual manner.

The operation of winding the spring is automatic. It becomes woundimmediately after the first revolution of the crankshaft, by reason ofthe reverse movement of the disk, as will be explained.

The slidable frame has two movements; its first movement has alreadybeen mentioned in connection with the starting of the engine. p 3 r Thedisk has two revoluble movement-s. It is moved substantially onerevolution by force of the spring as already described- At the time itsrevolution has been completed' roller 21 will be seated atjunction 18 ofgrooves 14 and 15, and at that time concaved gear portion 17 will be inengagement'with At this time the pinion 5 of crank shaft 4,being'thusactuated' by the engine, will cause a reverse rotatablemovement of the disk, for the reason that said: pinion is then inengagement with gear-11, roller 21 being disposed within groove 14;

and the reverse rotatable movement of the disk will continue until theroller 21 reaches recess 20 at junction 19 of the grooyes, at which timesaid roller becomes seated 1n Stud.

recess and-pinion 5 is free from engagement with the gears. -During thereversely rotatable movement of the disk, the slid'able supporting framewill be moved in a direction of side plate 2' of the car to its normalposition. The second or reversely rotatable mo 'eme'nt of the disk,referred to, immediately follows its first rotatable movement and thespring becomes wound immediately after it has spent its energy. Thefirst revoluble movement of the disk is caused-by the spring and itssecond move-i ment is caused by the engine; and the spring remains woundat all 'times except when temporarily released to start the engine andcar.

While I have shown and describeda' disk having an arcuate recess in oneof its ends the walls of the recess being formed as a gear, the opposlteside being formed withthe arcuate grooves mentioned, it is obvious thatother members or structures could be provided, the same having adjacentrack bars as a' substitute for the arcuate recesses with toothedwalls,means being provided for guiding the movements of such member so that itwill present one of these rack bars contactingly with the teeth ofthepinion to actuate the latter in one direction, the member'being-movedin an opposite direction by action of the pinion when in engage- .mentwith the opposite rack bar, and I do not limit myself to the use of thedisk or v 'elaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent barrelsince theelements mentioned would be identical in operation.

Having described my lnvention, what I 1S,' l. A starting mechanism forgas engines, comprising, in. comblnation with a driving shaft havlng ap1n1on thereon, a springactuated disk-member suitably mounted for tionprovided with a substantially cylindrical gear and formed near itsperiphery with an arcuate geared portion; aspiral spring carried by saiddisk; means to cause engagement of the gear of the cylindrical portionwith the pinion, said pinion being thereby rotated in one direction byoperation of said spring; and means to subsequently cause engagement ofthe gear of the an cuate portion with said pinion, thereby causingarotation of the disk in a reverse direction and causing actuation of thespring;

and means .to dispose the disk with its geared portions in disengagementwith said pinion.

3. In starting mechanism for gas engines,

the combination of a frame having a sup-,

portwmovably mounted thereon, a driving shaft provided with a pinion, adisk pivotally mounted upon the movable support and having an arcuaterecess formed in one of its ends, the wailsof said recess being provided'with agear and a blank portion, the opposite end of said disk beingformed'with a connected outer and inner arcuate groove provided with a'recess disposed adjacentto the blank portion of said ,arcuaterecess, a

roller mounted upon the frame and normallyseated in the recws of saidgroove;

resilient meanstoE'cause a revoluble'move ment of the disk in .onedirection for actuating said driving shaft, the roller being disposedwithin. the inner groove and causing engagement of the p nion wlth oneportion of said gear during such revoluble move ment, the'disk beingrotatedin the opposite directionby actuatlon of the driving shaft saidroller being then disposedwithinthe outer groove to cause engagement "ofthe pinion with another portionof said gear.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses. i I FRANCIS H. GLAHN.

Witnesses I HIRAir A. SrUReEs,

ELIZABETH MURRY.

